Arsenal’s four-pronged pursuit of silverware lives on as they approach the tail end of the 2025/26 season but Mikel Arteta and his staff are already working behind the scenes to pinpoint who their summer targets will be.
Despite this term being overly positive, what with being top of the Premier League and enjoying a flawless league phase in the Champions League, there are still areas the Gunners need to improve on.
Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento is reportedly on their radar while Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid is also of interest to the club.
That said, it’s set to be a busy summer for the north Londoners as their most recent summer splurge means a first-team sale is inevitable. That’ll open up funds and space for new incomings and another name has been linked.
Arsenal eye move for highly-rated Bundesliga star Castello Lukeba
Defensively, there’s a strong argument to be made that Arsenal are the strongest team in the world. Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are a formidable partnership at the heart of defence and the likes of Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori are excellent on either side.
But Arteta doesn’t want to stop there as, according to L’Equipe, they are among the would-be buyers for Castello Lukeba.
The report states that discussions have begun for the one-cap France international – who is under contract in eastern Germany until 2029 – and he is set to leave his current employers in the summer.
The Premier League and La Liga are understood to be his two preferred destinations if a move away does come to fruition and Arsenal are already making inroads, having begun talks in recent weeks.
According to L’Equipe, an Arsenal scout was present in Leipzig when Ole Werner’s side drew 2-2 with Borussia Dortmund.
At the time of writing, no official bid has been tabled but that could all change within a matter of weeks and months given how in-demand the left-footed defender is expected to be.
By virtue of his talent and the interest in his signature, Leipzig are hoping to earn between €60 and €70 million from his departure.
Why Arteta would want Castello Lukeba
Given that Arsenal are already defensively strong, it raises questions over whether a move for the 23-year-old is worth it given his signature won’t come cheap.
That said, the futures of Saliba (contracted until 2030) and Gabriel (contracted until 2029) are up in the air given how talented they are.
| Statistics | Lukeba | Saliba | Gabriel |
| Minutes | 1716 | 1986 | 2076 |
| Pass success rate (%) | 90.3 | 92.6 | 88.9 |
| Aerials won per match | 1.2 | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Tackles per match | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Interceptions per match | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| Key passes per match | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Overall rating | 6.94 | 6.85 | 7.31 |
Regardless, Lukeba could eventually challenge for a starting spot if both players were to stay.
The left-sided defender in Arteta’s system is often required for the diagonal switch to Bukayo Saka on the right flank – and Lukeba’s decent pass accuracy (90.3%) is evidence that he could fit the bill.
What could prevent Arsenal from striking a deal is the fact that Bayern Munich are also in the offing. The club’s director of sport, Max Eberl, is understood to be a big admirer of Castello Lukeba – but a move across Germany ‘appears unrealistic’.
